Small And Medium Enterprises In Mauritius

Small And Medium Enterprises In Mauritius SMEs are considered as one of the driving forces of modern economies. SMEs contributions in an economy are in terms of technological upgrading, product and process innovations, employment generation or export promotion. Therefore, helping SMEs to innovate is important not only because it improves their own competitiveness, but also through linkages and knowledge spill-overs with other firms, the entire industry and macro economy. SMEs are a key vehicle for development and growth in any economy, as they constitute the majority of enterprises found even in the most industrialised countries (Masatak 1998 and Storey 1994). SMEs create employment, a source of innovation, generating export opportunities among other (Hall 1995). In Mauritius, the contribution of the small scale sector in accelerating the economic development process and the democratisation of the economy is widely recognised. SMEs in Mauritius have experienced a rapid increase, especially with the government encouraging people to set up their own business by providing them with incentives, guidance and financial aid in their projects. The Government is committed to providing the conducive environment for the sustainable development of the sector and to respond to the changing needs of enterprises in a proactive manner. Over the years a number of incentives have been introduced to foster the development of the sector. SME Definition The term SME covers a wide range of definitions and measures, varying from country to country and varying between the sources reporting SME statistics (Gilaninia, Amiri et al. 2011). Thus there is no universally accepted definition of a small and medium business. The definition of what constitutes a SME varies (Taylor and Adair 1994; Reed, 1998); it is generally based on the number of employees and financial turnover. According to SMEDA Act 2009 in Mauritius, an enterprise means any form of trade or manufacture, craft by hand or foot, cultivation of fruits, vegetables or flowers, livestock breeding, or activity approved as such by the Authority. A small enterprise is an enterprise having an annual turnover of not more than Rs 10 million while a medium enterprise is an enterprise having an annual turnover of more than Rs 10 million but not more than Rs 50 million. In Mauritius SME has been redefined, where previously the volume of investment in equipment which was one million up to Rs 10 million which was taken into account, is now classified as a small enterprises and with less than 50 and 200 employees for small and medium scale respectively. SME Evolution in Mauritius Since independence, Mauritius has practised a consistent policy to encourage the creation and promotion of SMEs. SMEs in Mauritius can trace their history back to the 1960s when Mauritius was in the wake of a timid industrialisation process with an import-substitution strategy. The country has moved away from a mono-crop economy with fast population growth and high unemployment to one that is more dynamic and diversified. The sources of diversification have been agriculture, textile, tourism and more recently international services with Offshore and Freeport activities. The sugar sector provided the start-up capital for the Export Processing Zones (EPZ). The rapid rate of growth of investment in the manufacturing sector led to the success of the EPZ and the Mauritian economy as a whole. This was made possible by the confidence of entrepreneurs and foreign investors prevailing in the country at that particular time. The government recommended the diversification of the economy with the creation of Export Processing Zones in the early 1980s. The EPZ sector took advantage of duty-free and quota free access into European Union markets as well as tariff preferences granted by countries such as North America and Japan. The mid 1980s witnessed a textile boom, raising per capita incomes and living standards. The creation of EPZ enterprises has been prominent in absorbing large numbers of unemployed persons who otherwise would never have been gainfully employed. In 1976 the Small Scale Industry Unit (SSIU) was established under the aegis of the then Ministry of Commerce and Industry. It also became the central point in the ministry to provide general advice and guidance to small entrepreneurs. The SSIU became the Small Industry Development Organisation (SIDO) in 1983 as it was increasingly being advocated that an apex organisation with a legal framework for the SSI sector and an integrated policy approach were required. The Industrial Expansion Act of 1993 was enacted in the spirit of consolidation and strengthening of the existing institutional framework and support to industrial development in the country. The Small and Medium Industries Development Organization (SMIDO) Act was adopted which was itself part of the Industrial Expansion Act was established as a parastatal body. It was the next most important landmark in the promotion of SMEs. Its vision was a strong and modern SME sector that was efficient, competitive and export-oriented. In 2005, following the merger of the Small Medium Industries Development Organisation (SMIDO) and the National Handicraft Promotion Agency (NHPA), the Small Enterprises Handicraft Development Authority (SEHDA) was created. The aim of the merger was to rationalise and optimise the use of resources dedicated to the small business sector in Mauritius. The introduction of a new act, the Small and Medium Enterprises Development (SMEDA) Act 2009 is the latest development with regards to SME policy framework in Mauritius. The SMEDA promotes the development and growth of the SMEs in Mauritius. SMEDA provides support to potential and existing small and medium enterprises with a view to enabling them to start new enterprises. Over time, the pattern of economic competition has changed. With the liberalization of trade and commerce it is clear that as the global economy continues to move towards increased integration. With the onslaught of globalisation and the accompanying dismantling of trade preferences, the challenges facing the SME sector are ever-growing and getting more and more complicated. SMEs are increasingly subject to severe competition from low-cost producing countries. However, as a result of advances in information and communications technology (ICT) and the reduction in trade barriers, some of the greatest opportunities for SMEs will derive from their ability to participate in the regional and international markets. SMEs flexibility and adaptability are key determinants to take advantage of the promises of globalisation. New technology, new products, new markets and new management concepts are constantly emerging to change industrial competitive advantage (Ling X, Li, 2000). Similarly, the World Bank (1999) suggests that enterprises in developing countries including Mauritius are facing far more competitive environments in this fast-moving technological world. Hence, the Mauritian government believes that the real engine of sustainable and equitable growth is in the SME sectors. SMEs in Mauritius have obtained the help and support of the government to facilitate the promotion of their business. Many of them export their products to countries abroad and this contributes significantly to the economic growth of the country. However, in the era of globalisation, the environment in which these SMEs operate is becoming more and more challenging, and, in turn, they need to operate efficiently within tight deadlines to be able to survive. To respond to the growing competition faced by organisations, banks have introduced the Internet Banking service to allow their customers undertake their banking transactions online, anytime and anywhere. Internet Banking enables firms in Mauritius to deal with both their local and international clients by allowing them to carry out their banking transactions even outside normal bank opening hours.

Moving Towards a Global Community Essay

With Communism finally thought of as discredited, the US believed that it could finally assume sole dominance of global political and economic affairs. The US was wrong, as Communism was replaced with a new foe – terrorism. The 1990s saw the emergence of Islamic terrorist groups, all of which have a single-minded goal to destroy the US. These terrorist organizations justify their actions by arguing that it is their duty as good Muslims to wage a war against all enemies of Islam (Halliday, 2003). Roots of the â€Å"Jihad† Most Islamic terrorist organizations came from Third World countries, where poverty and government corruption are rampant. Furthermore, majority of the countries from which these terrorist groups originated are governed by pro-US regimes. In exchange for unlimited access to the raw materials of their respective countries, the US would grant them political, economic and military assistance. The aforementioned scenario is conducive to the rise of Islamic terrorist organizations. Impoverished and desperate, many Muslims from the Third World find solace from these groups, who offer them overly simplistic explanations for their destitute state. Leaders of Islamic terrorist organizations usually brainwash neophytes into believing that the US is responsible for the political, economic and social ills in their country. Thus, as good Muslims, they must fight the US even at the cost of their very lives. The US, on the other hand, would protect itself by calling on lackey regimes to â€Å"fight terrorism† by crushing these groups, often at the expense of civil rights and liberties of their constituents (Palmer and Palmer, 2004). References Halliday, F. (2003). Islam and the Myth of Confrontation: Religion and Politics in the Middle East (2nd ed. ). London: I. B. Tauris. Palmer, M. , & Palmer, P. (2004). At the Heart of Terror: Islam, Jihadists, and America’s War on Terrorism. New York: Rowman and Littlefield.

My Trip to America Essay

The plane was taking off. Gravity pulled me lean on the back of the seat. Seeing the trees, roads, cars and buildings became more and more blurry in my sight, I felt my brain was blank. â€Å"Hey, I’m really going to leave tomorrow†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I called my best friend the night before I left. â€Å"Don’t forget to swim across the Pacific Ocean to visit me. † She said after the long silence. Yes, for me at that time, America was truly just Hollywood and Disneyland on the other side of the Pacific Ocean. But soon enough, I would find out the real America by myself. Before I knew, I was already breathing the air of San Francisco, my first stop. The Hip-Hop music coming from the radio was really loud, and people were trotting. I could even feel the fast beat of that city in the car. Something was not in that rush though — the pigeons. They were taking a walk leisurely on the street, did not afraid of people, as though if the hurry did not belong to them at all. That scene was never to be seen in my country. When the last piece of furniture was moved into my apartment, my dad signed: â€Å"we have a home in America now. † â€Å"chicago il. † In the first summer, I used to touch the unacquainted address on the envelope every time we got letters, practiced to recite telephone number and close my eyes to feel the wind. So my new life just had begun unconsciously. Almost nothing fitted what I imagined about the High School. Because it was a lot better than what I supposed. I thought I would be lonely, no one would talk to me, but actually at the end of the first of school, I already had known someone who I could consider as friend. Things were indeed not easy though. I held the map of the school building, and finally found my way to classroom after asking three people for direction. Teachers were nothing like the strict teacher in China, they were patient and funny. They were willing to be students’ friends. I used to say, â€Å"Sorry, my English is very bad. at the beginning of the school year every time when I finished talking with someone. Once I was sitting outside of school gate on the stairs and talking to a girl, when I said my formal conclusion sentence, she said â€Å"Oh no, your English is very good! † and gave me a shinny smile. In my memory, the sky of that afternoon was as limpid as a lake with glittering sunshine†¦ Honestly, I did not understand or feel much every morning when we put our right hand on the left chest and say the oath towards the flag. Until one day the school showed the commemoration of 9. 11 on the TV, I saw many teacher cried. I suddenly realized that America is their home, was just like someone attacked their home and hurt their sister or brother. The oath to the Stars and Stripes is not just about a verb, a pose; it’s about the feeling of home. Most sunny days of chicago are mild. I will sit in front of the desk and look up to those cotton-candy-like clouds through the window. Or I will always take a walk in the dusk on some clean and quiet bypath, the tip of the church, which is tinged by the orange afterglow and the tall Chinars along the path, which sings softly in the wind, always make me think I have crashed in to a fairyland. I know that I felt and still feel the love when I was singing the national anthem of my country, China. And America is where I live and study now. It is my second home. I am getting the excellent education here, I have met lovely and patriotic people here, and I have seen the charming scene here. I am experiencing a totally different lifestyle here. Close my eyes, I still can see the tears on my grandparents’ face in the airport; I can still smell the thick Natee on every street of San Francisco; I can still remember once there was a girl who was too nervous to decide whether to wear a pink or white T-shirt on the first day of school. After a year and a half living in America, I’m still that happy little girl, except when I think about America, it is not more far away across the Pacific Ocean, it is where my new life is, it is my home. And another thing is that I can be the person to show others the direction to the classroom now.

Livestock Cruelty and How It Affects an Animals Health - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 2 Words: 658 Downloads: 4 Date added: 2019/05/16 Category Society Essay Level High school Tags: Cruelty To Animals Essay Did you like this example? Many people consume factory raised meat every single day, however, what people dont understand is the torment that each of these animals must endure in order to make it on their plate. Livestock cruelty has increased so dramatically, that it has created health problems for the animals. Factory raised animals are amongst the most brutally treated animals, and these animals are prone to catching a variety of diseases because of their terrible living conditions. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Livestock Cruelty and How It Affects an Animals Health" essay for you Create order In addition to horrible living conditions, some livestock animals are given abundant amounts of food in order to fatten them quickly, leading to a faster sell. Some animals, when not useful to the meat market, are killed brutally because they do not contribute to the factory in any way. Many of these livestock facilities butcher their animals body parts without painkillers and deny their animals the ability to see a veterinarian. All of these horrible mistreatments cause the livestock to contract different health issues, and in some cases, these health issues may harm the meat consumers of America. From the moment these animals lay a foot on the factory ground, they are treated horrendously. Approximately 95% of U.S. farm animals are raised on factory grounds, and these factories mainly focus on the profit and efficiency of their meat, without taking into consideration of the animals well being. Of course, these animals will eventually be eaten at someones dinner table, however, it is ethically wrong to treat any animal in such a horrible way (ASPCA). Many of these livestock animals are pushed into crowded cages, and almost never given the chance to lay foot on actual ground. According to the ASPCA, Up to 10 hens are packed together in one wire cage roughly the size of a file drawer. (ASPCA) These living conditions dont allow the animals room to live a decent lifestyle. Most of these animals, mainly pigs, must live in their feces, inhaling nothing but ammonia fumes that their feces produces. Ammonia fumes can cause the animals to contract nose, throat, and many different other respiratory infections. Ammonia fumes can lead to lung damage, blindness, and in severe cases, death. It isnt uncommon for meat production factories to over feed their animals in order to a have fast and efficient meat production. In modern factories, it is extremely common to over feed the livestock, and allow them to develop much faster than normal. In addition to that, these animals grow disproportionately because they are growing faster than they naturally would. Chickens are the most targeted animal to enhance growth. Chicken breast is always on high demand in the meat industry, so factories will add different steroids to the chickens food, making their breasts grow faster than most other parts of their bodies. These steroids cause a multitude of hardships for the chickens. For example, they can suffer from leg weakness, trouble breathing, heart failure, and chronic pain. In some cases, the chicken cannot support all of the extra weight they have, and they eventually become crippled, struggling to reach food or water. Not only does overfeeding affect the individual animal, but i t also affects the animals around them. According to ASPCA, As they grow, meat chickens become crowded together, competing for space. (ASPCA) These animals begin to fight for space, so factory workers must butcher some of the animals body parts without anesthetic to keep them from killing each other. Not all livestock is used for the meat production, some animals are killed because they do not serve a purpose to the factory inventory. In the meat industry, there isnt a market for the male chicks, mainly because they arent the right breed for meat, so shortly after they hatch, they are killed by grinding, gassing, crushing or suffocation. (ASPCA) After a hen becomes a slow producer of eggs or can no longer produce eggs, meat factories tend to starve the hen in order to adjust their body to the final stages of life.